1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lift apparatus to assist access to and egress from a pool or spa. More particularly this invention relates to hydraulic lift systems involved in transferring handicapped or physically impaired individuals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many aquatic activities are extremely desirable forms of physical therapy for handicapped persons. However handicapped or infirm individuals confined to wheel chairs have had a great difficulty getting into and out of spas and swimming pools. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,727 expressly incorporated herein by reference of K. Krumbeck issued Jun. 15, 1993 discloses a prior art lift.
The variety of lifts that have been devised to assist the handicapped and infirm involve construction techniques which do not provide materials performance benefits that enable high performance products at very competitive and affordable prices. Accordingly, there is a need for high performance lifts that can be made from material otherwise heretofore believed to have insufficient performance characteristics.
Although prior devices have disclosed the possibility of detaching a wheel chair seat and then attaching it to a lift many of these devices do not provide for an easy transfer of the wheel chair seat for example from its wheeled support frame to a pool lift such as involved in the instant invention. There is a need to have an easy way to transfer either stretchers or wheelchair seats from their support platforms to a pool or spa lift, such as contemplated in this invention. Having wheel chairs specifically designed for easy transfer from their support frames to the lift is considered a collateral aspect of the present invention.